CURRENT MISSION

Mission? I guess I hope that people at my funeral will say, "He was a mensch." Then I hope they chuckle at my epitaph (a Groucho Marx line, I think): "Outside of a book, a dog is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

ABOUT ME

I love my wife, my job, my two kids, my friends, my crappy car, and the shabby edges of my house. I love them most intensely after being away.

PHILOSOPHY

I like the story of the young man who asked a rabbi if he could distill the essence of his religion while standing on one foot. The rabbi said, "Certainly. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. The rest is commentary. Now, go study the commentary."

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

I haven't participated yet, but, if all goes well, a college friend and I are going to take my two sons to Washington, D.C. in January for Obama's inauguration. If couchsurfing with kids goes well, me and the boys will make a habit of it.

Interests

Interests other than traveling:
Soccer, swimming, hiking, camping, rock climbing, biking, running, reading, writing, cooking.

• dogs
• writing
• books
• perfumes
• cooking
• running
• partying
• happy hour
• reading
• traveling
• cycling
• hiking
• backpacking
• camping
• rock climbing
• soccer
• swimming
• lacrosse
• religion

Music, Movies, and Books

Favorite books so far this year: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, Favorite Son by Walter Mosley, and Brief Encounters with Che Guvuera by Ben Fountain. Mostly I read non-fiction from the New Yorker, The Week, and The Atlantic Monthly.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Best times in nature: snow cave in New Zealand, rock climbing at Devil's Lake, backpacking Isle Royale, mountain biking the Slick Rock trail, winter walks on the Mississippi River slough in LaCrosse.

Best times with people: camping as boy with my family, making friends in college, meeting, courting, marrying my wife, adopting our sons, happy hour with teaching colleagues, dinner parties with friends.

Best times alone: being visited by (I think) a friend who had passed, and various moments when I have felt... what?... connected with the divine?... moved by the spirit?... intensely alive and at peace?...

Teach, Learn, Share

I love talking about the commentary (see above), especially if it can done with stories.

Countries I’ve Visited

United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

New Zealand, United States

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